


"What If"

by Musiclight_Ray



Category: World of Darkness (Games)
Genre: Homophobia, Homophobic Language, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Trans Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 22:38:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20366260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musiclight_Ray/pseuds/Musiclight_Ray
Summary: A group of Mages go to a sleepy small town in Colorado and encounter werewolves. There was a battle, round 1 won.This is the aftermath.





	"What If"

“...And please tell Miles that I’ll send information from the werewolves as I can get it. They were keen to help with the Alderman and Amara, but I’m not sure they will continue to help now that that is resolved.” Jay was saying, his animated hands checking his friends. He sighed, before hugging both of his friends. “Be safe,” he murmured, a soft breeze passing over the small group. If someone was paying attention they would’ve smelled wheat and hay, and not the distinct lack of smell one found in an airport.

The man watched his friends get through security before they disappeared into where he could no longer see them.

The drive back to Manito Springs was very quiet, the moon only a sliver in the sky. Jay sighed softly, taking a second to open Spotify so something was filling the air. He quickly turned it off when the first song that played was the one that had played the last time he was alone on a road like this.

The hotel room was quiet like a graveyard when he got to it, turning the TV on to a random channel, letting the nonsense sound fill the void of silence. Jay was alone. And alone was never good for the young Mage. Not now at least. He sighed, sipped down a Tylenol and fell asleep a while later.

*** *** *** ***

_ He wandered down a long dark hallway, no doors, no windows. Just a light at the end of the tunnel. He knew this tunnel, he’d seen it before. But he’d beaten it back before. _

_ Why not this time?_

*** *** *** ***

Jay’s eyes fluttered open, noting the sun was about halfway to its highest point. He sat up, fingers fluttering. His breath caught as his physical body changed, the man looking more womanly now. His-Her clothes were pulled on, more fluttering making her look freshly showered and smelled of flowers. Jay knew that using magic to semi-manipulate normies into doing what she needed them to do was usually frowned upon, but there were times where one didn’t have a choice. A wave of a hand, and her ID matched how she looked, while another wallet was manipulated to look like a marshal’s badge. She was ready-and willing-to make sure that she could stay here. 

\-- -- -- --

"Welcome to Vance Reality Agency, how can I assist you?” Jay smiled at the young man behind the desk, her heels clicking on the marble floor. 

It wasn’t hard to convince him to take her to the nicest apartment, especially after she’d slid her coat off, the dress she showed accenting all the right places. She didn’t even have to use magic after she’d stepped through the door, just a look from her made him practically fall over and yes “yes ma’am”. She also negotiated rent down to a mere $400/month, at least $200 under what it was supposed to be. 

Jay sighed, leaving her marshall badge where it could be easily seen. Normies were too predictable, and they immediately wiped the man’s memory of them. In about three months this would probably come back to bite them, but that was a later Jay issue. 

They didn’t have much to move, just what they’d brought from the Farm, and requested that the rest of their things be sent to their apartment. 

Tomorrow was job hunting day. Tonight- Chinese and bad rom-coms. 

What Jay hadn’t expected when he walked into the small occult shoppe was to see another werewolf-but not one that he’d seen before. He only knew he was a werewolf because of the spike in his sixth sense. The man breathed deeply, and the Mage knew he was smelling his own power. “My brothers mentioned that Mages had come to town, but I didn’t realize one had stayed. Did you clear it with them?” 

Ignoring every sense that was saying _RUN_, Jay sighed like he was bored. “Considering one was literally under your nose...no,” When the man looked confused, Jay pointed out a window-a window that looked almost directly into Deakin’s shoppe. The werewolf looked at the Mage, before chuckling. 

“Very well. How can I assist you,” Jay pulled his resume from his bag, placing it on the counter. 

“You know what I am. I know what you are. And I think you can make work of my...abilities and skills,” No magic this time. Jay knew the wolf would know instantly if he tried any spells. Besides, athame magic wasn’t his strong point. 

Jay watched as the man looked over his resume, before nodding. 

“When can you begin?”

“Now,”

House secure, job secure, Jay found himself bored easily when he wasn’t at the shoppe, and making Dean’s business actually semi-boom. People suddenly started going crazy over rose quartz that helped their love lives and teas that actually did what the label claimed they did. Jay sighed at their ignorance. Dean had done what he could, but the poor man wasn’t a Mage. Sure he had something kinda like magic, but it was raw and brutal. Jay laughed at himself. Listen to him be judgmental. 

_ I haven’t learned anything, have I Teague. Nothing at all. _

The days soon turned into weeks, Jay adjusting to his new life. Mornings and afternoons were spent in the shoppe, the fluid quickly being given almost full reign on it. Evenings were spent meditating and moving into the apartment, as the rest of Jay’s stuff had finally arrived from the Farm. 

He was keeping himself busy, but the quiet nights didn’t keep the nightmares nor the loneliness at bay. Jay knew he could go back to the Farm if he really wanted to, but he wanted to prove to himself (and the others) he could survive on his own. 

As the school year began approaching, Jay considered returning to academia, but decided against it. He wasn’t ready to handle children again, and even college children were children. Eventually, maybe, but for now, he was content with the shoppe. 

On this particular day, Jay was organizing the store. It was approaching August, which meant it was going to soon be Lammas. He wanted to keep the store fresh and new, and that also meant keeping the energy from getting stale. 

As he was moving the most center table, he heard the bell, announcing the arrival of a customer. It took Jay a second to get himself freed from where he’d trapped himself in a corner, but soon he was back to the front-and found himself face-to-face with Deakin.

“‘Lo,” the Marine said casually, leaning against the counter. Jay sighed softly, crossing his arms. He ignored the  _ thump _ in his chest, making himself act casually. 

“Can I help you?” Deakin grunted before pointing at the rose quartz. 

“Are you actually enchanting those or are you just influencing normies?” Jay scoffed, offended. 

“A of all, I would never outright influence a normie unless it was for their own good, and B of all, the quartz holds its own magic, I just coax it to emerge.” Deakin gave him a look that plainly said he didn’t believe the fluid, but Jay just shrugged. “Believe me or don’t, the boom in sales means I can keep the job.” There was a raised brow from the Celestial Choir member, the Verbana witch just staring Deakin down. “Did you come to buy something, Thomas, or did you come to question my business practices?” Jay murmured, voice icy. 

That broke the spell, Deakin snorting before flippantly waving Jay’s comment away and leaving the store. Jay sighed, perturbed, and went to finish moving the table.  _ Bloody Marine think he can come in here and criticize my job and how I do it. Fuck him, _ the fluid thought passionately, looking up at the clock. 

It was only 4 in the afternoon, and this particular day the shoppe was open until 7, so that way the “late night” crowd could visit if they so wanted. Thinking about it, Jay could probably use a second set of hands, an equal partner for when he couldn’t come in. Dean was on a walkabout, and only came back every few months to check on things and do inventory, before leaving again. Jay understood what that meant in theory, but werewolves were weird. “Most of them could use a fuckin’ bath too,” Jay grumbled, before getting the table to finally work with him and settle where he wanted it. 

The rest of the day passed smoothly, the fluid racking up over $1,000 in sales, a good day for a Wednesday. Jay closed up the shoppe, and headed home, feeling a cold settling in. Shivering, he pulled his shawl higher on his shoulders, before moving at a faster pace. 

He looked up, noting it was a full moon. He didn’t understand how the werewolves in town changed, but he knew that the phases of the moon did affect how easily they changed or didn’t change. 

Once home, Jay lit incense and candles, stretching out on his couch. He needed to make sure that he got his moon water created, but the moon wouldn’t be on his side of the building until well past midnight. So, he set an alarm and settled down to take a nap. The shoppe opened at four the following day, so Jay wasn’t too worried about being up late.

_ The Farm was cold, frosty. They didn’t always get below freezing in August, but sometimes it happened. Jay was walking around the border line, his bare feet crunching on the frosted grass. It was a killing frost, which meant that winter was coming early, possibly before Samhain. The witch sighed, before heading towards the house. He could feel his feet going numb, and while he could stave it off with magic, he chose to listen to his science major and headed for warmth _ .

_ The house was cold and dark when he arrived. He paused, for until he set foot inside of it, it had been lit up with lights, and he could hear the sound of his coven eating in the dining room. Taking a deep breath, Jay listened. Sometimes things were weird on the Farm, and if the fae were back they could be playing a trick. Focusing, Jay’s eyes slid to cat’s, seeing better in the dark. He realized he was now wearing boots, thin but durable. He silently moved through the now cold and silent house, eyes shifting to cats’ eyes without much thought. His vision improved at that, even though everything was in shades of grey and blue.  _

_ A closed door where there usually was no door. Jay paused before opening it, it turning to smoke in the process. He squinted, before stepping inside.  _

_ The door slammed shut behind him, a loud echoing sound in the dark and silent house. A bed. Empty. Candles around it. The smell of death and sickness. Jay walked closer, his feet bare again. He could hear the whispers of invisible beings around him, but he paid them no heed- _

The Mage startled awake, breathing hard. His alarm was going off, having fallen off the table. It was a couple hours past when he wanted to awaken, but not late enough to mess with his plans for his moon water. 

After the water was placed in the window, Jay saying some words over it, he sighed and went to his Book of Shadows. He needed to figure out what his dreams were telling him…and fast. 

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to World of Darkness and my friends with whom I played Mage and Werewolf with. 
> 
> ((This is work is also without a beta-reader, mistakes will be made as they are found <3))


End file.
